Changing the pH level of water offers many benefits to human health, yet it helps other living beings as well. Alkaline water made with water ionizer machines is perfect for caring for live plants and cut flowers.

Soil pH for a Plant's Health

The pH level of soil makes a significant impact on the health of plants. When the pH level is off, plants can exhibit discoloration from leaf chlorosis, as well as other problems. Finding the right pH can help your garden thrive because the pH level affects the plant’s ability to take in nutrients, which contribute to growth and strength against stress and disease.

Types of Plants

When you water plants with water of different pH levels, it’s important to research the types of plants you have and the pH they prefer. Not all plants are the same with this preference, and it often depends on the pH of the area where the plant originated. For instance, plants from the western plains and deserts like alkaline soil.

On the whole, most of the plants you would grow in your home garden like soil at an acidity of around 6.5 or close to it. Nonetheless, many plants, such as clematis and cotoneaster, like alkaline soil, while other plants, including azaleas and rhododendron, prefer soil with an acidic pH. PlanTea offers a great chart on specific plants and the pH levels they prefer.

Changing the Soil's pH Level

It’s possible to test your soil’s pH with a meter or kit. If you need to adjust the soil, there are a few ways to accomplish this, one including watering with acidic or alkaline water. Put plants together that require a similar pH, and you can water the different groupings separately.

Another consideration is that tap water adds fluoride and chlorine to your garden soil, which can be taken out of the water with sink water filters.

Cut Flowers

When you cut flowers from your garden or buy a bouquet, you can enjoy the beauty of your flowers longer by adding slightly acidic water with a pH of 3.0 to 4.5 to your vase. The cut flowers are able to absorb the acidic water better than alkaline or neutral water (tap water is close to neutral on the scale). That’s why the preservatives that sometimes come with flowers include an acidifier ingredient.

Change the pH of Your Tap Water for Your Plants

You have choices in water ionizer machines that will change the pH level of your water at home. For instance, the AOK-909 Mineral Alkaline Water Ionizer is able to change tap water to alkaline water, and this sink water filter is conveniently small and portable. Other types of machines, such as the Basic Alkaline Water Ionizer Machine IonTech IT-580, offer the full pH spectrum from very acidic to very alkaline.

Sources:

http://www.gardenguides.com/128810-alkaline-water-plant-damage.html, http://www.plantea.com/pH.htm, http://www.ehow.com/list_7776639_alkaline-water-plants.html, http://www.harristeeter.com/in_our_stores/departments/flower_gallery/care_handling/care_handling.aspx